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6 Degrees Entertainment

'Stay'
(Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, et al / DVD / R / (2005) 2006 / 20th Century Fox)

Overview: Standing in for an ill colleague renowned New York psychologist Sam Foster is confronted with disturbed art student Henry Letham. Seemingly inspired by his idol, a painter (in)famous for committing suicide on his 21st birthday, Henry announces he will shoot himself "Saturday at midnight" - the moment he turns 21. Foster, once having saved his suicidal girlfriend Lila, takes the threat seriously, but fails to simply have Henry taken into custody. Instead, while trying to track his patient down, Sam is gradually being drawn into the world of Henry's obsessions.

DVD Verdict: 'Stay' is what some people call a 'rubber reality' movie, a term I hate but which describes it well enough. Basically, what those terms mean, in my mind anyway, is that it's a film that presents a world that looks a lot like the real world, but where there is definitely something very off: Either it's just vaguely surreal or filled with various unexplainable events or we're seeing the world distorted thru a character's mind of whatever. And, naturally, the plot will most likely involve the unraveling of the mystery and the explanation as to why such strange things are happening. the film centers on Sam Foster and Henry Letham. Sam Foster becomes Henry's interim therapist (or psychiatrist or whatever), and Henry, a snarky art student, promptly announces that he intends to kill himself in 3 days, and that he fully expects to go to hell, for some un-stated reason. Sam becomes rather involved in the drama, as it never looks good when a psychiatrist's patient offs himself, and he's intrigued to find out just what the hell is going on with Henry, as it is clear that he isn't just a loony: He displays precognitive powers, and the fabric of reality general seems to come apart shortly after he starts meeting with him. (Also, Henry's case resembles the past of Sam's current girlfriend, Lila, another art student who attempted suicide, which adds another layer of personal involvement for Sam.) Anyway, plot particulars beyond this fail to mean much as Sam mostly just runs about town trying to determine why Henry wants to kill himself, and how to stop it. (Duh.) 'Stay' is mostly about visuals and ideas, the film has a level of emotional impact. I was prejudiced against Ryan Gosling as Henry due to his obnoxious emo haircut, but he proves to be a highly sympathetic, guilt-ridden character, but with enough anger underneath it all that he doesn't seem like too much of a whiner. Also, I like Ewan McGregor (as Sam) more than I usually do, though he is largely just a means of getting us from one scene to another. This is largely a two person show; Naomi Watts's Lila is the third most significant character, and she really doesn't do anything in the movie other than provide Sam with someone to talk to! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Scene specific commentary by director Marc Forster, cast and crew
"Departing Visions" featurette
"The Music of Stay" featurette
Trailer

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